


Pigtails

by Sunny_Drinks_Soda



Series: Growing Up Sunny AU [3]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Gen, Happy Birthday Mari!, I wanted something a little more calm, Mari (OMORI) Lives, Sibling Bonding, We were robbed of pigtail Sunny, it's hints for the future because they're worth it, just Mari doing Sunny's hair and teasing him, so i wrote it myself, there's mentions of Basil/Aubrey/Kel/Sunny in here in the form of crushes, this is a more chill fic so I didn't go too crazy with descriptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29798325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunny_Drinks_Soda/pseuds/Sunny_Drinks_Soda
Summary: Sunny's hair has gotten a bit too long, so Mari helps brush it.
Relationships: Mari & Sunny (OMORI)
Series: Growing Up Sunny AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168406
Comments: 22
Kudos: 93





	Pigtails

A soft, fluffy stack of pancakes drizzled with a generous river of sugary-sweet syrup towered upon that of Sunny’s plate like an imposing skyscraper, topped with just a smidge of melting butter, a couple of fresh strawberries, and a lick of whipped cream to complete such a monstrous breakfast. Mari watched on as Sunny’s eyes sparked with awe at its intimidating, yet incredibly delicious-seeming appearance, right before finally diving in fork-first with an expression of sheer enthusiasm and joy. Honestly, it made Mari want to laugh with how, most of the time, she’d be lucky if Sunny would even just _barely_ leave behind a nibble or two in whatever it was he was eating, acting as if he were on some sort of weird bird diet; but the second pancakes were mentioned, he was happily-willing to gorge himself away in Kel-like fashion — someone who she truly assumed had a black hole for a stomach with how much he could horrifically stuff himself silly without ever getting sick. Where did it all go? What did Hero think?

What were his secrets...?

Startling her out of her thoughts was the loud whistle of the electric tea kettle going off, the water inside bubbling with heat and filling the air with steam. Taking hold of the handle, she went over to the kitchen countertop and placed the teabag inside her new favorite mug — the same one Sunny had bought her especially for her birthday — right before pouring in the boiled water. The mug was simple in its design, blank white with only a little cartoon cat that looked an awful lot like Mewo right in the center of it all, but it was perfect, and a very Sunny-like gift to receive. She couldn’t help but smile at how cute it was, her eyes drifting back over to her brother.

Sunny was currently going all out on devouring the pancakes she made, with a glob of syrup beginning to dribble down his chin. She also noticed how he kept pausing every few seconds, fork clutched in one hand, as the other one went up to annoyingly move his bangs away from eyes and out of his face. 

With a confused quirk of her brow, Mari squinted just a tad bit harder, all the while Sunny tuned out the rest of his surroundings within that of his little pancake piece of heaven. Getting a closer look, she saw just _how_ long his hair has gotten since his last trim, his hair being just long enough as to rest over his shoulders in a pool of messy, dark locks. With the stress of the recital constantly hanging over their heads, they hadn’t really had the time to focus on anything else but their shared performance — at least, not until Sunny had popped her suffocating, perfectionist-obsessed bubble. Her heart twinged with a guilty ache, reminded of how much she had truly been ignoring her brother’s health in favor of her need to be the best. It was a race that she was glad she had lost in the end, if it meant she could see Sunny smile as brightly and as often as he has been lately. 

Speaking of Sunny’s happiness, she frowned at the way he let out a quiet huff of irritation. He was probably mad at the constant interruptions to his meal — she hasn’t made pancakes in a long while, being stuck in her own head and all. It got to the point where he was about to run his syrup-covered fingers all through his hair in an attempt to push it back, and it was with that realization that she hurried over across the kitchen to quickly intervene, placing her hands over his own, smaller ones. 

Yep, they were sticky alright. Bleh.

“Don’t put your fingers through your hair, Sunny. They’re all covered in syrup! Come over here and wash your hands first, okay?” 

Sunny silently nodded and got out of his chair, following Mari’s lead towards the kitchen sink. He looked up at her with those big eyes of his as he made grabby-hands, urging her to pick him up and not paying any mind to the perfectly-good stool a few feet away from where he stood. Mari wasn’t ignorant to, nor did she mind, the increase in Sunny’s clinginess as of late, knowing how much he loved and craved affection. She knew said craving was amplified by the serious lack of contact he’s been missing out on because of her unintentional distance, so she gladly picked her little brother up, letting loose a grin at the tiny giggles he produced as he leaned into her. Adjusting her hold of Sunny in one arm, she used her other hand to turn both nobs towards each other, testing to see if the water was turning the correct shade of warmth. When she found the temperature to be comfortable enough, she turned her head to look back at a patiently waiting Sunny, who then hovered his hands underneath the streaming faucet. There was a little bar of lavender soap beside the sink, which she then placed in his hands. On the other side of the sink, she caught sight of her mug, which now contained a dark brown liquid and smelt strongly of Earl Grey. She had let the teabag settle for a lot longer than she meant to, but she guessed she could simply microwave it later if the milk made the drink too cool for her liking.

Once Sunny’s hands were clean and dried, she placed him down and back on his own two feet, giving his head a little pat. She loved how he beamed up at her, his cheeks flushed with excitement at her attention. She needed to try harder at being there for not just Sunny, but for the rest of her friends as well. She can’t even remember the last time she’s been out on a date with Hero, and it was making her feel even worse. How often, and for how long, was she cooped up playing her piano? What about all those extra classes she’s been taking? 

No wonder she felt as burnt out as she did...

“Now, little brother... I’ve noticed that your hair’s gotten a bit longer since your last trip to the barber, and it looks like it’s been bothering you for a while now. Even though I’m definitely not a professional, I can still try my hand at trimming it back a little so you don’t have to constantly move it out of your face. I’ve had to do it for my own hair a couple of times, so I’m not totally bad at it, if I do say so myself!” she said with what was hopefully a comforting smile, absentmindedly taking a handful of his hair into her hand. She could already feel the knots and clumps from within her light grasp, knowing that Sunny wasn’t one to regularly brush his hair like she did on a daily basis. Or use any sort of care products whatsoever. She wanted to cringe at the poor, snapping strands in his near future. “You want me to cut it back to it’s usual length? If I can’t see your face, that means I can’t see your smile,” she went to dramatically hang her head down low, pretending to wipe away an imaginary tear. “I already miss it…” she said in a disappointed tone, trying her best to appear distraught. Just enough to distract Sunny… 

Quickly recovering, she rushed over and playfully dug her fingers in his sides, causing Sunny to let out a squeal at the sudden tickle attack. Her grin was wide and filled with pure evil, at least in Sunny’s eyes, wheezing as she cackled at his misery. He tried to escape her hold with a flail of his arms, but he was, unfortunately, no match for her strength. After a few, solid moments more of pure, sibling torture, Sunny was allowed to try and catch his breath, his pale face painted red with exhaustion. His ribs were still tingling…

“Mari.... evil...” he croaked, strained giggles still flowing out without sympathy. She placed a hand on her hip, happy in her little triumph of the day.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Sunshine. That’s revenge for eating the last pudding cup the other day. And, as you can see, I’m still grieving — your smile is still covered up by all that hair!” she cried out, giving him a noogie for emphasis. Whelp, it’s already messed up anyways, so no harm done? He promptly swatted her hands away from the mess atop his head, face twisted in what was _definitely_ not a pout. Sunny was so silly. “How about it? Do you mind if I give you a little trim? That is, if you trust your big sister to do a good job!”

She wanted to make sure that Sunny was okay with her being the one to cut it before even _trying_ to take any sort of plunge into new territory. Sunny wasn’t one to like sudden changes in schedule or appearances, if his rather, well, _dry_ clothing tastes were anything to go off of, so she had to be mindful of checking in with him.

Sunny, for his part, looked thoughtful, finger tapping at his chin in deep contemplation before going up to feel at his own hair. He ran his fingers through a couple raven waves, wincing as he snagged on a few knots and unfavorable textures. Looking up again, he studied how pretty Mari’s hair looked in the light, neat and shiny in its style. There wasn’t a single strand out of place. He thought a little bit harder, imagining himself having the same hair, soon finding out that he kind of liked the idea of matching. He wanted to look… pretty. He wanted pretty hair, too.

“No,” he stated simply, making Mari’s expression shift into one of shock, with maybe a thin lining of hurt mixed in. She didn’t think she was _that_ bad, or at least, not bad enough to give someone large, uneven chunks. The harsh times of disaster haircuts were way past her now — she swears it!

Sunny saw the way her face fell, realizing how mean it sounded, right before trying again. “No… match.” Sunny pointed towards himself, then towards her, giving a light tug at the ends of her hair. Mari’s eyes widened with understanding.

“You want to… match? With me? You want to try growing out your hair like mine?” Sunny gave a shy nod, his one visible eye unable to meet that of her own.

“No need to be embarrassed, little brother! You would look super cute with long hair! But!” She took hold of his hand, leading him out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. “We have to brush it first. You probably have a lot of knots and loose strands we should comb out, and maybe if you feel like it, I can style it! How does that sound?”

“... Pretty…?” Sunny whispered nervously, gaze locked with the floor. 

“Yes, Sunny. You’ll look very pretty! Who do you think does Aubrey’s hair? And I know you _loooove_ her’s, don’t you?”

He allowed his bangs to cover up more of his face.

And with that being said, Mari guided him towards their shared bedroom, sitting him over her pink sheets. Sunny could only blankly stare at the wall as he heard his sister rummage around her assortment of baskets in search of a brush and whatever else was needed for hair. Sunny wasn’t very knowledgeable in these types of things, but if he wanted his hair to be like Mari’s, it looked like he was gonna have to learn.

“I found it!” Mari cheered. “I got some detangler, some hair moisturizer, and, of course, the actual brush! I also have some hair clips we can try out, so we can move your bangs to the side. Do you want me to style your hair, too?” Sunny nodded, already appreciating the flowers glued to the sides of the clips.

“Okay then! Let me get over there.”

Settling herself on the bed behind Sunny, she took hold of the entirety of his hair and moved it towards the center of his back, and once it was all together in one place, she readied the detangler, spraying a few spritz of it on his ends. She let out a sigh as she took in some of its appley scent, right before beginning to brush from the bottom upward. She gradually moved towards the middle, spraying it a bit more for good measure. This was where the majority of the knots were located, so she gave steady, careful strokes as she slowly straightened out his tangles, repeating the repetitive process until the brush was successfully combing through his hair without any sudden pauses or hisses of pain from Sunny. She then lathered her hands with the moisturizer, conditioning the rest of his hair until it was smooth and sheened with health. 

Now that the hard part was out of the way, it was time to be creative! Splitting his hair into two equal sides with the brush, she took off one of the hairbands from her wrist, looping it over three times. She did the same to the other side, styling Sunny’s hair into two low pigtails that peeked beneath his ears. 

“Blue or pink?”

“... Pink.”

Pushing herself off the bed, Mari grabbed the hair clip with a pink blossom on it, moving to stand over Sunny. With her trusty brush, she swept his bangs to the side and behind his ears, before pinning it in place with the hair clip. No longer was he missing his right eye!

“There, that’s better! Here, have a look!” Mari said, offering Sunny the hand mirror that was resting on her nightstand. 

Looking at his reflection, Sunny could see the way his hair now shone and gleamed just like Mari’s, tied into cute little pigtails that now hovered over his shoulders. The flower in his hair didn’t only fix the annoying issue of his bangs, but it also managed to somehow make him pop amongst the large amounts of monochrome shades coloring his person. He looked… pretty. 

“Wow, Sunny! You’ll be getting all the girls' and boys' attention now. Maybe we should call Basil, Aubrey, and Kel over. You know, to see what they have to say about your new look~” Mari teased, smirking at how easy it was to get Sunny all flustered. Her little brother was a romantic at heart.

“ _Mariiiiiiii_ ,” he whined, trying to hide as much of his face as possible.

“Aww, right when I just got your smile back!”


End file.
